Loyalties Tested
by animexluva13
Summary: So I read the article about how Hawkeye was supposed to have a part in The Winter Soldier and it made me upset that that wasn't left in there. So I figured I'd give it a try.


"Hawkeye, HQ is on for you."

Grabbing an MRE off the counter - _Should have grabbed a pastry from that 24 hour shop - _Clint made his way to tech room. Walking to the computer, Clint gave a nod to the tech agent on-sight as said agent left to give him privacy.

"We need you back on base ASAP." was the greeting Clint got from none other than Jasper Sitwell.

_Damn it. _He spent two weeks doing reconnaissance for this mission to find the perfect time and place to take out this paranoid, rich son of a bitch. No way he's throwing that away just for another team to have to go through the same process again.

"What about this hit? We have our opening tomorrow morning-"

"This next assignment takes priority. We have a situation that needs your attention," that made Clint freeze. _Natasha? The Avengers? _"Your team will stay on your guy, but we don't have time. Pack up and haul ass." and then the screen went blank

Clint jumped up and went to gather his gear.

Stepping off the ramp of the quinjet, Clint was greeted by the sight of Jasper Sitwell standing to the side with a folder in his hands. The sight reminded him of his past longtime handler, when he would be waiting to debrief Clint after his missions. Thinking about Phil still caused a pang in his chest, even though much time had passed.

"Jasper," Sitwell nodded back and motioned for Clint to follow him. Clint frowned_. Weird, Jasper usually isn't so serious_. Clint couldn't recall a time since he met Coulson's protege that he acted so seriously. Confused, Clint jogged to catch up to him.

Once he came up next to him, Clint took a look around. There was a flurry of activity. There were a lot of teams looking as though they were heading out. _Something big is going on_. It was also then that he realized that Jasper had led him to another quinjet that was packed and ready to go.

Clint expected Sitwell to stop and explain what was happening, but Jasper just walked straight up the quinjet's ramp.

Following, Clint saw his bow and arrows already onboard. "What's going on-"

Sitwell walked up to the cockpit said something to the pilots, and then the ramp was coming up.

"Jasper, what-" Clint started again. Jasper motioned to the seat and once they took a seat, he handed the folder to Clint.

Opening the folder revealed a picture of Steve Rogers. A chill ran up Clint's spine, "What's wrong, is Rogers okay?"

"Director Fury is dead." Forget chill, Clint's blood froze at this statement.

"How-" Clint couldn't even get a full question out.

"According to Rogers, sniper." At the corner of his vision, Clint thought he saw the tech agent freeze for a moment and clench his jaw, but the moment passed and he was working again.

"Steve was there?" Clint looked up at Sitwell, "Is he alright?"

"Steve Rogers has been named a fugitive and is currently in the wind."

_Wait, what? _Clint's brain was having trouble processing this new information.

"That doesn't sound right, Jasper, Steve wouldn't," Clint couldn't believe it. Steve was a good man. All morality and ethics and God Bless America. After the Battle of New York, Clint had gotten to know Steve, had talked to him now and again, even while Clint had been grounded by psych. Afterwards, Clint hadn't worked with him too much, but when he would interact, he found that he enjoyed the super soldier's company and they worked rather well together.

"Well, that's the situation. I know he's your friend, Clint, but it is what it is. We need to find him and take him in. As someone who's worked with him in the past, you're well equipped for the job."

Clint was silent for a moment. "How will we find him?" he settled for. No matter how much experience Clint has had with high stress situations and missions, hearing that one friend is dead and another is a fugitive really can throw one off their game. It also really didn't help that Clint had just been on full mission mode the night before already.

"The tracker on his suit is still operational, we already have a location. Agent Connors?" he called to the agent sitting at the workstation.

"Just on the outskirts of the the DC area." The tech agent at the work station called.

"ETA ten minutes." One of the copilots called.

Jasper got up to head to the tech agent. Clint's heart began to beat faster as he walked over to his bow and arrows.

He picked up his bow and snapped it open. Looking at the bow in his hand he noticed that he was gripping it too hard and his hand was shaking slightly. As he glanced up, he saw Agent Connors looking at him, but Clint just looked back down, shouldered his quiver and went to sit on the bench.

The quinjet dropped lower and opened at the back so Clint could rappel down. He touched down on the roof of a building.

**Heading northeast, Hawkeye.**

"Copy that"

Clint began running along the rooftops in the given direction.

**Should be coming up on him soon**

He took a look over the edge of the building he stood on. _There. _Cap was walking along the side of buildings. Clint wished right there that Cap had gotten more practice avoiding detection. _Shield would have a harder time finding him if he had tried to stay in a crowded area. _But Steve must not have had time to do much of anything judging by the fact he was still in his suit.

**Do you have a visual?**

Reaching for an arrow, Clint answered, "I have a visual." He nocked an arrow and drew the string. His hand shook so he stopped and eased the string back down.

**Alright Hawkeye, Your move**

Those words made Clint freeze for a moment. _Was he being tested?_

Looking at Rogers, Clint saw him walking in the direction of a work van. Clint drew his bow this time more confidently, aimed and released.

The arrow flew and embedded itself in the side of the van and Steve whipped his head around. But as he was turning the second arrow was already flying and it clipped his shoulder, ripping the suit.

When Steve saw Clint on the rooftop, he turned and ran, towards the trees.

"Target on the move" Clint told Sitwell as he stepped over, planted his feet and grabbed the water pipe on the side of the building. He slid down the pipe and began running after Rogers. "I'm in pursuit"

Clint had to hand it to Steve. He ran into a crowded crowded with trees, making it harder for Clint to get a clear shot.

He followed in a straight path after Steve. Up ahead, he saw that the trees cleared up for a ravine. As he broke out into the more open area, he saw a disc-like object fly towards his shoulder, so at the last moment he turn his torso to avoid getting hit.

The object hit a tree behind him and bounced back to the direction it came from. Following it with his eyes, Clint saw Steve reach his arm out and grab the object. _Shield. He actually threw it at me._

The sound of the shallow stream separating them and insects were the only noises. Looking across the ravine at Steve, Clint waited and then said, "Hey Cap."

Steve narrowed his eyes and glanced behind Clint.

"It's just me, Rogers," He considered his next words and the fact that everything he was saying was being listened to through his comm, "I've been ordered to take you in."

"I don't know what they told you, Clint" Steve started, but Clint spoke again to cut him off..

"Sorry Cap, Orders are orders."

In the next moment, Clint drew an arrow and let it fly. It passed by Steve's ear and exploded meters behind him. Steve's eyes widened as he glanced at the explosion behind him.

Clint drew another arrow, but this time Steve was ready, when Clint let loose the arrow, Steve blocked by throwing his arm, covered by the shield, outward and the arrow bounced off. Using the motion to bring back the shield, Steve slipped it off his arm and launched it at Clint. Clint dove to the side and rolled nocking another arrow and letting it fly. Steve sidestepped to avoid the arrow and ran towards Clint. The shield came back and as it flew towards Steve's hand, Clint quickly drew another arrow and let it loose. The arrow skimmed the underside of the shield between the straps, and continued on to rip a hole in Steve's glove.

Steve didn't even stop to acknowledge the hit. He caught the shield and continued across towards Clint. Clint stood just as Steve crossed the stream to where he was kneeling just before. Steve swung his shield arm across and out forcing Clint to lean back to avoid getting hit. Bringing the shield up to his shoulder, Steve lowered his head and prepared to ram Clint. Clint brought his bow up in front of him to block the shield and used the force behind Steve's hit to push backwards away from Steve. Clint quickly brought his left leg up into a roundhouse kick to Steve's head. Steve duck and spun away. Clint followed quickly wielding his bow like a staff and swung upwards to follow Steve's spin. But Steve threw his arms up to block the swing and then quickly threw a cross with his right hand, catching Clint in the cheek.

Clint was thrown to the right from the punch and he felt the comm in his ear get nudged loose. Clint rolled and then made to stand up, but a kick sent him flying up and back down causing him to land on his stomach, and hit his ribs on one of the rocks. He felt at least one crack and he had to stop to catch his breath. He heard Steve coming closer so he stood up but had to stand a bit hunched over because standing straight wouldn't do much good for his ribs at the moment. He had dropped his bow with that last hit from Steve so he put his hands up as Steve approached. Clint saw Steve glance down at Clint's ribs.

The sound of the quinjet reached Clint's right ear. _Wait. _Clint couldn't hear out of his left ear. His hearing aid/ comm device was knocked out. Realizing that if Sitwell couldn't hear them right now, Clint could warn Steve.

"Cap-" Clint started

But just then the quinjet appeared overhead and Steve looked up at it. As if seeming to remember what was happening Steve looked back to Clint and ran at him.

Clint was able to block Steve's first cross and dodge the hook he threw with the shield, but then Steve threw an uppercut and caught Clint in the gut. Clint doubled over as pain shot through his abdomen. He saw the super soldier raise his leg for a kick and brought his arms up to block at the last second. The kick still knocked Clint backwards a few steps. Cap threw his shield and it hit Clint in the collarbone and shoulder. It spun Clint, making him land on his hands and knees. While Clint was still down, Steve kicked Clint in the side, catching him in the ribs and making him spin in the air and land on his back and hit his shoulder on a rock. His vision whited out as he felt another pain in the same collarbone as before and pain blossomed in his back when he landed on his quiver. When Clint could at least see color again, Steve was grabbing Clint's suit and lifting his shoulders off the ground only to slam his fist into his face and send him down again

Cap picked him up once more and Clint gave it one last shot, "Steve," Clint said, his voice barely a whisper, "tracker.. your suit."

Steve paused and his eyes widened. Clint could see a bit more again so he pointedly glanced at the shoulder of Steve's suit where the SHIELD logo sat. He looked back at Clint but Clint was in so much pain, he couldn't keep up this up much longer.

"Run, Cap. Be careful." Clint glanced up at the hovering quinjet. "SHIELD's watching. Had to make it convincing" The last part he offered with a grimace.

Steve looked down at the sniper. _He wasn't trying to capture me. He had to make it "convincing." _Steve felt a pang of horror and regret as he looked at what he had done to Clint.

Then he could hear as the more quinjets coming closer. Steve felt another ache in his chest when he realized that he had to leave the archer here, otherwise they'd both have to run, and with the amount of damage he did to Clint, they wouldn't make it far enough. Clint is in too much pain as it is. He needed help.

"I'm so sorry, Clint," Steve said.

Clint nodded. Steve moved to pick up the shield he had dropped. Once it was secured on his arm, he looked back at Clint once more, then ran into the trees.

The reinforcements had begun following not long after he had left Clint in the ravine. Steve had been running a while now. Stopping for a moment, he took off his shield and for the first time, noticed the hole in his glove.

Realization struck Steve. _The arrow that followed the shield. _Turning the shield over, he noticed that a small circular indent, where what he had thought was a bolt, had been was emptied of said bolt. _He took out a tracker in my suit and my shield. _

Remembering how he had left the archer, the ache was back.

Steve took a deep breath, and continued running.


End file.
